Perfil clínicopatológico do câncer de mama em mulheres ocupacionalmente expostas aos agrotóxicos na região Sudoeste do Paraná

Abstract

Paraná is the largest food producer in the world, with emphasis on family farming and the use of pesticides in crops. In this context, women have a fundamental role as an auxiliary in rural work, which makes them vulnerable to contamination by pesticides. This study characterizes the profile of exposure and breast cancer in women occupationally exposed to pesticides residing in the Southwest region of Paraná. Data were obtained from medical records of 607 patients seen at the Francisco Beltrão Cancer Hospital, from the 27 municipalities that make up the 8th Regional Health Region of Paraná, with 354 women eligible. To characterize the exposure, patients were interviewed and asked about how to contact pesticides. Multi-residue dosing of pesticides was also performed to confirm exposure. About 51% of the participants lived more than 40% of their lives working with pesticides and 94% do not use gloves for the decontamination of clothes and objects. As for the molecular subtype, the exposed ones presented a worse prognosis profile, predominantly characterized by the Luminal B subtype. It was also observed that exposure to pesticides is a determining factor for the occurrence of chemoresistance to treatment. The profile of occupational exposure to pesticides is characterized by severe and chronic exposure of women with a history of rural experience and who do not use protective equipment during contact with pesticides. The prevalence of subtypes with a worse prognosis and association with the occurrence of chemoresistance in exposed women may be a determinant of poor outcomes such as death and disease recurrence.